HC Deb 26 March 2002 vol 382 cc815-6W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to his Department was of the use of external consultants in each of the last four years. [35018]

Mr Leslie

The total cost to the Cabinet Office and the Central Office of Information for the use of consultants in each of the last four complete financial years is as follows:

  • 1997–98 £5,531,000
  • 1998–99 £8,098,000
  • 1999–2000 £10,812,000
  • 2000–01 £10,927,000.

The period 1997–98 included £501,049 on e-government IT consultants commissioned by the Central IT Unit (CITU). Expenditure on this topic was £3,138,437 in 1998–99, £5,046,618 in 1999–2000 and £3,543,147 in 2000–01. Expenditure in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 increased to include Y2K work and in 2000–01 a decrease in expenditure in those areas was offset by work on UK Online following an expansion of e-Government work in the 2000 Spending Review. Other Cabinet Office consultancy spend is on research and IT developments.

Mrs. May

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost was of management consultants across all Government departments in the last available year. [43630]

Mr. Leslie

Information for all Government Departments is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Individual departments are responsible for their own consultancy arrangements.

For the information relating to my Department, I refer the hon. Member to the answer have given today to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow).

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [43193]

Mr. Leslie

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 6 February 2002,Official Report, column 944W.